Stronger Than
by cakeengland
Summary: Their friendship wasn't enough to overthrow the Maverick Virus. Their love was a different matter. Maverick!Zero/X. Rated T to be cautious.


_A/N: It's weird. Maverick!Zero/X is always weird when I write it. xD Actually, I have a lot of weird ideas for this pairing, and this is probably one of my best. I think you know, but just to be careful, this IS a male/male story. You have been warned._

_Also it's old. If you want to see more recent works, go look at my Baten Kaitos stuff. xD_

* * *

_He's a Maverick, he's a Maverick…_

X ignored the voice in the back of his head, taking small steps towards his best friend, jade-green eyes wide with anxiety.

The blond's smirk grew, and he tipped his head back in a flirtatious manner, frosty blue eyes glistening. "Well…?" he prompted. X thought his voice sounded a lot like a snake's hiss.

"Aren't you going to attack me?" The cerulean Reploid was being awfully blunt, yes, but the question had been nagging at him for quite some time.

"No," Zero replied calmly. "Even as a Maverick, I will never harm you. No, I _could _never harm you."

"But w-why?" X stammered, utterly confused on every possible level.

"Because of our love," was the crimson Maverick's response. "Our love for each other counteracts the malicious intent of the Virus. The Virus itself is stronger, but our love is more focused." Accurately reading the expression on the azure legend's face, he added, "Think of it as a bee-sting. Medication doesn't eliminate the fact you got stung in the first place, but it _does _draw out the sting."

X nodded, believing he understood. "Okay, I think I get it now." He closed the two steps distance between Zero and himself. Zero's ultramarine eyes shimmered as he draped his arms around the smaller android's body, pulling him closer. X didn't object, burying his face in his lover's chest. He didn't even flinch when the blond removed his helmet, pressing a kiss to his brown locks of hair. The kiss was full of fire and passion, the same way he always remembered it, and it convinced him beyond a doubt that this was his beloved Zero.

"You're perfect, X," the crimson Maverick uttered, "don't let anyone tell you different."

X's response to that was to stand on his tiptoes, pressing a small kiss to the corner of Zero's lips. "And you're my guardian angel," he whispered.

"Darn straight," his best friend/lover smirked.

He was being kissed and embraced by a Maverick, but he wasn't afraid. He was opening his heart to a Maverick, but he didn't feel like it was wrong.

Zero swept X into his arms, pressing his lips into the blue Hunter's. X kissed back, emerald eyes wide with satisfaction.

_Something _about this was right. He just didn't know what _something _was.

"Aren't you worried about the others?" the blond whispered huskily, flooding X's ears with his beautiful voice.

"Not in the slightest," the azure legend replied.

"Good." Zero discarded his own helmet, slowly easing them both onto the ground, lying on his back, and folding his arms around X. "It's past midnight. Aren't you tired, X?"

He was about to reply and say that no, he wasn't tired, when he noticed the heaviness of his eyelids and he realized that yes, he _was _tired. "Yeah," he murmured, pressing the side of his face into Zero's chest.

"I thought so," the ruby-red Reploid replied. "Just go to sleep, X. You know I'll protect you."

And so, X slowly settled into hibernation mode, his systems going into stasis. It was mad, trusting a Maverick to this level, but X did so anyway.

* * *

When X awoke, he was still in Zero's arms, although he noticed that weariness had overtaken the crimson Maverick eventually, forcing a shutdown on him. Chuckling with light amusement, the azure legend leaned over, so that his lips were next to Zero's ear.

"Come on, Z. Time to wake up," he whispered as loudly as he dared. He felt the Reploid underneath him shift and heard the gentle whir of systems coming online.

"Sorry," Zero apologized. "I sort of…fell asleep."

"Hey now, even Mavericks are programmed with basic feelings such as fatigue," X scolded gently, "don't apologize for things you can't help. Although," he paused. "I'm not entirely convinced you _are _a Maverick."

"I _am _a Maverick," Zero hissed, digging his fingernails into the exposed part of the cerulean Reploid's shoulder, leaving a deep gash. Dark red fluids bubbled out from the wound, staining X's skin. X cried out, but only partially because of the pain.

"You hit a _nerve," _he hissed, glaring up at the crimson Maverick.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to kiss it better, hmm?" Zero murmured in a low tone that made all of the azure legend's anger just melt away. X rolled over onto his uninjured side, looking expectantly up at the blond. Zero smirked, lowering his lips to the gash. The smaller android gave a little gasp as his lover trailed kisses around the rim of the injury, once or twice licking up a small trickle of blood. Eventually, Zero pulled away, placing one hand over the wound to prevent further blood loss while waiting for the auto-repair systems to kick in.

"I love you, Zero," X murmured dreamily into his lover's ear.

"Even though I'm a Maverick?"

"Even though you're a Maverick."

"Good." Zero nudged a firm kiss to the blue Hunter's forehead. "Love you too, X. But shouldn't you be getting back?"

"I don't want to go," X protested, nuzzling into the crimson Maverick's chest. "I want to stay here, with you."

"I could come with you," Zero suggested quietly.

"But they'll-"

"I know," the blond interrupted. "But I think you can convince them not to, sweetheart."

"I- well, okay." A faint smile graced the cerulean Reploid's features.

* * *

Heads turned as the clatter of metal boots echoed throughout the Command Center, accompanied by a very familiar voice calling "I'm back!"

Alia pushed herself away from her console, an annoyed light dancing in her sapphire eyes. "X, you vanish for an entire night, get us all worried sick and all you say when you get back is _'I'm back?'_" She snorted.

"I apologize for that," X replied calmly. "However, I was a bit caught up in…_other_ business."

"By that, he means he was with me most of the night."

As Zero stepped into the room, all three Navigators had different reactions. Layer gasped, Alia face palmed and Pallette's eyes nearly fell out of her skull.

Capitalizing on the trio's temporary loss of speech, the azure legend hastened to explain. "Long story short, he's a Maverick, but he's a docile Maverick."

"X, there's _no such thing _as a docile Maverick." Surprisingly, it was Layer who had spoken.

"Now there is," the cerulean Reploid replied with a shrug. With that said, he turned to Zero. Maverick and Hunter embraced each other, their lips pressing together without a second thought.

Layer and Pallette collapsed to the ground from a circuitry overload and Alia quickly shut her eyes to keep from joining them.

This day was starting to look very weird.

* * *

"See, X?" Zero whispered, cupping one of the azure legend's cheeks in his palm. "I told you it would work."

"Shut up and kiss me," replied X.

The blond smirked, rolling over so his back was on the bed, rather than his side, pulling the smaller android on top of him. Cupping the back of X's helmet in his hands, Zero dragged his boyfriend's head down, pressing his lips into the cerulean Reploid's a bit forcefully. X didn't mind the roughness at all, returning the kiss as passionately as he could without parting his lips.

Relaxing into the crimson Maverick's hold, the smaller android broke the kiss, his eyelids growing heavy. He tried to resist the lull of sleep, but lost to it, eyes closing fully. He heard Zero softly whisper a goodnight and felt the red-clad Reploid press a gentle kiss to his forehead. One last coherent thought settled in X's mind before he slipped into peaceful unconsciousness.

_Maverick… maybe it's time we rethink what that word actually means._


End file.
